Tire for road-vehicle wheels.



R. J; CALDWELL.4 'I'IBHv FOR ROAD VEHICLE, WHEELS. ABELIUATION FILED 3111516n 1809.

9"(52075D Patented'Nov. 8, 1910.

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NITED STATES PATENT OFFCE.

OBERTJOHN CALDWELL, 0F NEW SOUTI-IGATE, ENGLAND, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE AS- SIGNMENTS, TO PFLEUMATIC (1910) LIMITED, OF LONDON, ENGLAND.

TIRE FOR ROAD-VEHICLE WHEELS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. s, 191e.

ppiiction filed July e, 1909'. serial No. 506,100.

To all it may concern; u

Be it that I, Bonner JOHN CALD- subje'ct o itheKingof Great Brita`iii,`rsiding at New Southgate, Middlesex,

land," have invented new and useful Impijvements" in Tires rffor, Road-Vehicle Wheels, of which the following is a specificati n. Y

i inveiy on relates'tfo roadvehicle wheel tires, of the in Which a tube or case of flexibleor resilient material, such as canvas, india-rubber, `'or combined ,canvas and indiarubber, filled with elastic cellular foamy or spongy material'. Tires ofthis kind heretofre y known have 4 comprised complete t1 1`l )esj,` which inay ,have Valso'served as the outer or tread portion of the tire, or may have `been inclosed a separate outer cover, within which the said foamy or spongy Inaterial is conned.

The object of the present invention to provide meansvvhereby the foalny or spongy material rcan be tilled into and retained, without using separate inner tube, in an outer cover or tire of the kind Which has a divided base, that, is to say an outer cover oi' `tire of the kind which, by itself, isr not a complete tube. Usually `such outer covers i are formed with two circumferential edges or borders which are enlarged orbeaded to engage in channelsin the wheel rim provided to receive the beaded edges. It has been ,found that, Lin lling `the foamy or .1 spongy material` intoA such a tire, the said material works its way under or behind the beaded edges of the outer cover and forces the latter out of the channels in the Wheel rim. y Inorder tosecure the beaded edges of the outer covenin the said channels, in the case `of ordinary' pneumatic tires, securing bands having a wedgeshaped cross-section have been employed to force the beaded ed 1es apartand hold therninthe rim chan- ,and', in o ther cases, `thin circumferential tongues or flaps of material have been provided on the inside of the outer cover to lieoverhthe divisionin the base or over the linesfaflfng4 v vhicliuthe-l inside edges of the outer cover restfagainst `the metal rim, for

the purpose of preventiga separate inner air tube iiiclosed bythe outer cover from be-` ingfnipped or pinchedvv between the beaded edgesjofjthe cover and the rim; y Arrangemetsofj this"kind,'as heretofore constructed, although they areeicient for the par# ticular purposes for which they are designed, are not applicable for usein tirestilled with foainy or spongyinateriah especially since the said arrangements do notv provide forthe escape of air from inside the tire whenbeing filled. The present invention comprises an arrangement in which such provision is made. y

According to the .present invention the beaded edges ofthe outer cover are held in the rim channels by a segmental band which is preferably trough-shaped in cross-section and is so proportioned that, in use, a space is left between the under or,` in ner sideot the band and the wheel rim to which the said band is conveniently secured by bolts, for example.` This band is perforated to allow air to escape from within the outer cover' held on the wheel rim thereby.

As is known, the foamy or spongy material is of such a nature that when being in@ troduced into the tire, if it is introduced at one point only it cannot conveniently be forced right around the tire in such manner that it will be equally distributed throughout the whole space inclosed between the outer cover and the wheel rim but it will be found tol be more closely packed and under greater pressure` at points near the admissionv aperture than athpoints remote therefrom. It is thereforeadvisable to provide more than one inlet aperture and these apertures are conveniently provided between the abutting ends of adjacent seg- ,Y

ments of the securing band hereinabove mentioned. V

The `present `invention comprises a` con-L venient form of nipple throughy which the .filling material can be introducedr `into the tire, and a cap for closing the thoroughfare through the nipple after the tireis` filled.

The streamsor masses of foamy material owing in opposite directions around .the tire sometimes trap between thema bubble of air which has been unable to escape through the perforations provided forE this purpose in the Isegmental securing band. To allow this, bubble to be pricked if necessary, or in any case to, allow this air to escape, `vent hole is provided throughieach segmental band midway between Ae`ach a`d jaeent pair of illing apertures., A plugis provided to close this vent holethesaid plug being introduced through a hole inv the Wheel riln,

lio

The perforations in the securing bands are only of small diameter and become choked or plugged by the foamy or spongy material. To draw off the air through the vent hole above referred to, which may also become choked by the foamy or spongy material, a hollow piercing tool is employed which while it is being thrust through the foamy or spongy material is filled by a rod which is withdrawn when the end of the tool is projecting into the air space, so that the air can escape through the tube.

The accompanying drawing shows how the said invention may be conveniently and advantageously carried into practice.

In this drawing Figure l is a side view of a tire, partly in central section, having my improvements applied thereto. Fig. 2 shows a section on the line Fig. l, drawn to a larger scale. Figs. 3 and 4 are respectively a central sect-ion and a plan view of a filling nipple shown in its relation to the wheel rim and the tire securing bands.

As shown in this drawing, a is a wheel rim7 is an outer cover formed with a divided base and with beaded circumferential edges c which are lodged in channels (Z in the rim. A filling of foamy or spongy material is indicated at These beaded edges are secured in the channels Z by a segmental trough-shaped securing band c fastened to the rim by bolts j'. This securing band is so proportioned that an annular air space g is left between the rim and the band which is formed with perforations L. The band c is drawn toward the rim by the bolts f thusforcing the beaded edges c of the cover into the channels Z and at the same time pressing the flaring sides of the band into the compressible material of the outer cover so that a tight joint is made and escape of the foamy or spongy filling material between the cover' and the bands is prevented.

In the arrangement illustrated the band e comprises four segments and a filling nipple j is provided between the abutting ends of adjacent segments. Each nipple is provided with a shoulder or flange 7c resting in the space g between the wheel rim and the band, and is screw threaded externally at Z to receive a nut m securing it to the wheel rim. The ends of the band segments are shaped to fit closely to the nipple which preferably extends a substantial distance into the space within the outer cover b. This arrangement minimizes if not entirely prevents escape of the foamy or spongy material into the space g at the part thereof around the nipple, during the filling operation. The nipple is provided with interior screw threads and a cap a screwing therein. A screw threaded hole is provided centrally in this cap to receive a handle by means of which the cap can be held and rotated to screw it into the nipple, the handle being released or removed by backward rotation while the cap is held against rotation by means of a spanner or like tool engaging fiat surfaces 0 provided for this purpose on the rim of the cap. A screw-threaded hole g is provided in each band e midway between the filling nipples y', and plugs r are provided to close these holes which are accessible for the insertion of the plugs through holes provided for this purpose in the wheel rim. The plugs also assist in holding the segments on to the rim.

Before filling a tire of this kind the nipples j are secured to the wheel rim. Then the segments of the band are rst loosely attached to the rim a by the plugs r and bolts the holes s in the bands through which the bolts pass being slotted to permit this. The outer cover b is now put in position and the bolts f and plugs r are tightened to draw down the bands e and force the edges c of the cover into the channels el and hold these edges therein. The caps n are removed to permit the introduction of filling nozzles into the nipples j through all of which the foamy or spongy filling material is now simultaneously forced into the tire. The entering streams of lling material sweep out the air from within the tire through the holes h into the space g from whence it readily escapes into the outer air and after the air has thus passed out a small amount of the filling material is eXuded through the holes L thereby chokingt or plugging the same. After this the plugs r are removed and any air trapped in the tire between the meeting streams of filling material is drawn oft by the use of a suitable tool such as that to which reference has already been made. After testing the evenness and sufficiency of the filling in any approvedmanner the filling nozzles are rapidly withdrawn, the caps n are rapidly substituted therefor7 and the tire is then ready for use.

The precise shape or configuration of the trough-shaped segmental securing band, as illustrated in the accompanying drawing is not an essential part of the present invention as it is obvious that the shape of this band can be somewhat varied. Also this band may comprise two or any other convenient number of segments, and two or any other convenient number of filling nipples may be provided.

I claim 1. In a tire, an outer cover having a divided base, a rim, a segmental securing band, filling nipples arranged between the segments of the band, flanges on said nipples lodged in an air space provided between said rim and securing band, and a filling of elastic cellular material introduced within said outer cover through said filling nipples.

2. In a tire, an outer cover having a di vided base, a filling of elastic cellular niaterial, means for introducing said filling Within said outer cover, a segmental securing band havin@ vent holes formed therein, and plugs for closing said vent holes.

3. In a tire, a rim, an outer cover having a divided loase7 a perforated segmental band securing said outer cover to said riin, a lilllO ing of elastic cellular material, filling nozzles for admitting said elastic cellular material extending a short distance Within the space between said outer cover and said segmental band, plugs closing said iilling nozzles, and

plugs closing air vent holes provided in Said 15 segmental band.

ROBERT JOHN CALDWELL. Witnesses:

GEO. HARRISON, FRITZ PFLEUHER. 

